Doctor Who

By: James Swallow

Narrated by: Will Thorp

Length: 2 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's Summary

The peace and quiet of a remote homestead in the 1880s American West is shattered by the arrival of two shadowy outriders searching for 'the healer'. When the farmer refuses to help them, they raze the house to the ground using guns that shoot bolts of energy instead of bullets.

In the town of Redwater, the Doctor and Martha learn of a snake-oil salesman who's patent medicines actually cure his patients. But when they investigate, the truth is stranger, and far more dangerous.

©2007 James Swallow (P)2008 BBC Audiobooks Ltd

Great story

Will Thorp did a great job telling this story. He really brought the west alive. The different voices were amazing and he sounded so much like the tenth doctor, I forgot he wasn't him. A must to listen to.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Good story, irritating narrator

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Extremely annoying parody of American Old West accents.

Any additional comments?

The story is of typical Doctor Who quality - interesting plot with fairly well drawn characters. Nothing particularly spectacular - I'd be surprised if it ranked among anyone's list of favorites, but neither is it weak or bad. A good, solid, enjoyable story. Unfortunately, however, the narrator is particularly awful. I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of Will Thorp's Doctor Who narration in general - he speaks WAY too quickly and his characterization of the Doctor is just off. But I can usually tolerate it without too much grinding of the teeth. But his work here is almost intolerable - at least for an American audience. Perhaps a British listener wouldn't be quite as annoyed because they may not be as familiar with the sound of an Old West accent (like an American may not recognize a bad impersonation of a Welsh accent, for example, because they aren't as familiar with what a Welsh accent actually sounds like). But, honestly, Thorp's attempts at Old West and midwest are so totally ridiculous that I think any listener, regardless of their nationality or familiarity with the Old West would find it gratingly over-the-top. It sounds like something a comedian would do as a parody - like something you'd see on SNL or perhaps a Warner Brothers cartoon - like a really, really bad impression of Yosemite Sam - if you heard it out of context you'd probably assume it was a joke. It really bothers me that BBC would hire someone like Thorp when there are /so/ many great voice talents out there! Especially when, given Thorp's earlier performance in